UNGRUDGING TRIBUTES
Today, there are in the world some one thousand million Muslims who unhesitatingly
accept that the Holy Qur'an is the "Word of God"and that it is a "Miracle."
Why should they not, when even avowed enemies are paying unsolicited tributes
regarding the miraculous nature of this Book of God. The Rev. R. Bosworth-Smith in his
book "Mohammed and Mohammedanism"
18
opines about the Qur'an:
(a) "A MIRACLE OF PURITY OF STYLE, OF WISDOM AND OF TRUTH.
Another Englishman - A.J. Arberry, in the preface to his English translation of theHoly
Qur'an - says:
(b) "WHENEVER I HEAR THE QUR'AN CHANTED, IT IS AS THOUGH I AM
LISTENING TO MUSIC, UNDERNEATH THE FLOWING MELODY, THERE IS
SOUNDING ALL THE TIME THE INSISTENT BEAT OF A DRUM, IT IS LIKE THE
BEATING OF MY HEART."
From these words and the rest of his preface he sounds like a Muslim, but regretfullyhe
died outside the pale of Islam. And yet another Briton, Marmaduke Picktall in the
foreward to his translation of the Holy Qur'an, describes it as:
(c) "THAT INIMITABLE SYMPHONY, THE VERY SOUND OF WHICH MOVE
MEN TO TEARS AND ECSTASY."
This Author embraced Islam before translating the Qur'an, and we are not in a position to
verify whether he wrote the above effect before or after his conversion.
(d) "NEXT TO THE BIBLE
19
IT (The Qur'an) IS THE MOST ESTEEMED AND MOST
POWERFUL RELIGIOUS BOOK IN THE WORLD."
J. Christy Wilson in "Introducing Islam"
New York 1950
(e) "THE KORAN IS THE MOHAMMEDAN BIBLE, AND IS MORE REVERENCED
THAN ANY OTHER SACRED BOOK, MORE THAN THE JEWISH OLD
TESTAMENT OR THE CHRISTIAN NEW TESTAMENT."
J. Shillidy, D.D., in "The Lord Jesus in the Koran,"
Surat 1913, p.111
We can quite easily adduce a dozen more eulogies to the above list. Friends and foes
alike pay ungrudging commendations to the Last and Final Revelation of God - the Holy
Qur'an. The contemporaries of Muhummed (pbuh) saw in its beauty and majesty, the
nobility of its Call and the magnanimity of its Message, the Sign and Miracle ofGod's
Handiwork, and accepted Islam. To all the tributes and testimonies the unbelieverand the
sceptic may say that these are all subjective feelings. He might further seek refuge in the
pretext that he does not know Arabic. He is heard to say, "I do not see what you see, nor
do I feel as you feel. How am I to know that God exists and that it is He Who inspired
His Messenger Muhummed (pbuh) with that beautiful Message; the Qur'an?" He
continues "I am not averse to the beauty of its philosophy, its practical ethics and high
morality, I am prepared to concede that Muhummed (pbuh) was a sincere man and that he
gave many beautiful precepts for human welfare. What I cannot subscribe to is what you
Muslims claim, 'a supernatural authority for his dicta'."
REASONED LOGIC
To this kind of sympathetic, yet sceptical mentality, the Author of the Book (Al-Qur'an)
uses various types of arguments to resolve his doubts. To the atheists and agnostics, the
cynics and the sceptics, who have a super-abundance of scientific knowledge and who
consider themselves to be "intellectual giants," the point is driven home that theyare in
reality like stunted "dwarfs." They are like the dwarf who may have acquired abnormal
development in any one particular direction at the expense of other parts of his faculty,
like an oversized head on a puny body, the Supreme Creator questions him.
But before we pose God's question to him, let me satisfy my own curiosity. "You men of
science who have studied astronomy and who study our Universe through your mighty
telescopes as if scrutinising an object in the palm of your hand; tell me how did this
Universe come into being?" This man of science though lacking in spiritual insight, is
nevertheless most generous in sharing his knowledge. He readily responds. "Well," he
begins, "billions of years ago our Universe was a single piece of matter, and there
happened a "Big Bang"in the centre of that huge lump of matter and mighty chunks of
matter began flying in all directions. Out of that "big bang" our solar systemcame into
being as well as the galaxies, and since there is no resistance in space to that primordial
momentum generated by the initial explosion, the stars and the planets swim along in
their orbits..."
At this juncture, my memory tickles me - Our materialist friends appear to have been
secretly imbibing their knowledge from the Súra Yaa-Seen:
20
The atheistic scientist continues. "Ours is an 'expanding'universe. The galaxies are
receding away from us at a faster and faster rate, and once they reach thespeed of light
21
,
we will not be able to see them anymore. We must construct bigger and better telescopes
as quickly as possible to study the sights, if not we will miss the bus!"
"When did you discover these fairy tales?" we ask. "No, these are not fairy tales but
scientific facts!" our friend assures us. "All right, we accept your facts for what you say
they are, but when did you really stumble upon these facts?" "Only yesterday!" he replies.
Fifty years, after all, is only 'yesterday' in the history of the human race. "An unlettered
Arab in the desert over 1400 years ago could never have had your knowledge of the 'big
bang'and of your 'expanding universe,' could he?" we ask. "No never!" he retorts
boastingly. "Well, then listen to what this ummi
22
Prophet uttered under inspiration:"
Today, there are in the world some one thousand million Muslims who unhesitatingly
accept that the Holy Qur'an is the "Word of God"and that it is a "Miracle."
Why should they not, when even avowed enemies are paying unsolicited tributes
regarding the miraculous nature of this Book of God. The Rev. R. Bosworth-Smith in his
book "Mohammed and Mohammedanism"
18
opines about the Qur'an:
(a) "A MIRACLE OF PURITY OF STYLE, OF WISDOM AND OF TRUTH.
Another Englishman - A.J. Arberry, in the preface to his English translation of theHoly
Qur'an - says:
(b) "WHENEVER I HEAR THE QUR'AN CHANTED, IT IS AS THOUGH I AM
LISTENING TO MUSIC, UNDERNEATH THE FLOWING MELODY, THERE IS
SOUNDING ALL THE TIME THE INSISTENT BEAT OF A DRUM, IT IS LIKE THE
BEATING OF MY HEART."
From these words and the rest of his preface he sounds like a Muslim, but regretfullyhe
died outside the pale of Islam. And yet another Briton, Marmaduke Picktall in the
foreward to his translation of the Holy Qur'an, describes it as:
(c) "THAT INIMITABLE SYMPHONY, THE VERY SOUND OF WHICH MOVE
MEN TO TEARS AND ECSTASY."
This Author embraced Islam before translating the Qur'an, and we are not in a position to
verify whether he wrote the above effect before or after his conversion.
(d) "NEXT TO THE BIBLE
19
IT (The Qur'an) IS THE MOST ESTEEMED AND MOST
POWERFUL RELIGIOUS BOOK IN THE WORLD."
J. Christy Wilson in "Introducing Islam"
New York 1950
(e) "THE KORAN IS THE MOHAMMEDAN BIBLE, AND IS MORE REVERENCED
THAN ANY OTHER SACRED BOOK, MORE THAN THE JEWISH OLD
TESTAMENT OR THE CHRISTIAN NEW TESTAMENT."
J. Shillidy, D.D., in "The Lord Jesus in the Koran,"
Surat 1913, p.111
We can quite easily adduce a dozen more eulogies to the above list. Friends and foes
alike pay ungrudging commendations to the Last and Final Revelation of God - the Holy
Qur'an. The contemporaries of Muhummed (pbuh) saw in its beauty and majesty, the
nobility of its Call and the magnanimity of its Message, the Sign and Miracle ofGod's
Handiwork, and accepted Islam. To all the tributes and testimonies the unbelieverand the
sceptic may say that these are all subjective feelings. He might further seek refuge in the
pretext that he does not know Arabic. He is heard to say, "I do not see what you see, nor
do I feel as you feel. How am I to know that God exists and that it is He Who inspired
His Messenger Muhummed (pbuh) with that beautiful Message; the Qur'an?" He
continues "I am not averse to the beauty of its philosophy, its practical ethics and high
morality, I am prepared to concede that Muhummed (pbuh) was a sincere man and that he
gave many beautiful precepts for human welfare. What I cannot subscribe to is what you
Muslims claim, 'a supernatural authority for his dicta'."
REASONED LOGIC
To this kind of sympathetic, yet sceptical mentality, the Author of the Book (Al-Qur'an)
uses various types of arguments to resolve his doubts. To the atheists and agnostics, the
cynics and the sceptics, who have a super-abundance of scientific knowledge and who
consider themselves to be "intellectual giants," the point is driven home that theyare in
reality like stunted "dwarfs." They are like the dwarf who may have acquired abnormal
development in any one particular direction at the expense of other parts of his faculty,
like an oversized head on a puny body, the Supreme Creator questions him.
But before we pose God's question to him, let me satisfy my own curiosity. "You men of
science who have studied astronomy and who study our Universe through your mighty
telescopes as if scrutinising an object in the palm of your hand; tell me how did this
Universe come into being?" This man of science though lacking in spiritual insight, is
nevertheless most generous in sharing his knowledge. He readily responds. "Well," he
begins, "billions of years ago our Universe was a single piece of matter, and there
happened a "Big Bang"in the centre of that huge lump of matter and mighty chunks of
matter began flying in all directions. Out of that "big bang" our solar systemcame into
being as well as the galaxies, and since there is no resistance in space to that primordial
momentum generated by the initial explosion, the stars and the planets swim along in
their orbits..."
At this juncture, my memory tickles me - Our materialist friends appear to have been
secretly imbibing their knowledge from the Súra Yaa-Seen:
20
The atheistic scientist continues. "Ours is an 'expanding'universe. The galaxies are
receding away from us at a faster and faster rate, and once they reach thespeed of light
21
,
we will not be able to see them anymore. We must construct bigger and better telescopes
as quickly as possible to study the sights, if not we will miss the bus!"
"When did you discover these fairy tales?" we ask. "No, these are not fairy tales but
scientific facts!" our friend assures us. "All right, we accept your facts for what you say
they are, but when did you really stumble upon these facts?" "Only yesterday!" he replies.
Fifty years, after all, is only 'yesterday' in the history of the human race. "An unlettered
Arab in the desert over 1400 years ago could never have had your knowledge of the 'big
bang'and of your 'expanding universe,' could he?" we ask. "No never!" he retorts
boastingly. "Well, then listen to what this ummi
22
Prophet uttered under inspiration:"
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